When we study, we gain knowledge. Let us say, we bring in a lot of information, and we have to crunch it, and answer from that. So how do you study? How do you connect all the four aspects of the antahkarana — manas, chitta, buddhi and ahamkara — in the studying process?
A simple but powerful ritual while studying for exams ,First thing, when you sit for studying, that is for gaining knowledge, you can follow a simple ritual: you relax the body, you slightly deepen your breathing, so that you are breathing in deeply and slowly, and have a smile on your face. The smile is especially important! You cannot start something with a frown — “I need to study this. Aiyayo naalaiku exam….Sigh! Tomorrow is my exam…” If you start the process of studying in this manner, it is a disaster! To begin with itself, it is a disaster. So when you sit, the body should be relaxed, the breathing should be deep and relaxed and the mind should be relaxed and pleasant. How will it become relaxed and pleasant? With a smile. You smile. With each breath you smile, and the body is relaxed. This is a very important ground condition for any good thing to come up, especially knowledge. Now this has prepared the ground condition and then you have to imagine the big picture, “Why am I doing this?” — this should be clear. So why would you be doing something? For example, when I take up some study, I imagine the benefit that would come out of it. When I study the Mahabharata, I would imagine,”A great many people would gain clarity in their thought process and decision making, and they would become happy and healthy.” All of this comes into my visualization and that prepares a very very important ground condition, and I am clear with what my motivation is, for doing it. It is personal. It is your motivation. You should find meaning in the act that you are performing and then, you will need to converge upon the act that you are performing, and decide upon a concrete goal. For example — “In the next half an hour, I am going to understand this concept.” If it is in terms of concepts it is broader. If it is in terms of chapters, it might be difficult. But again, depending on the subject at hand, it differs. For example mathematics might be different from history, and so on. So as per that, and as per your understanding, you fix a concrete goal, with a time limit, and then apply yourselves. In the process of application, there might be distractions. That is okay. What is important is to gently bring your mind back to studying. Let us say, you are studying and your attention wanders away from the subject and you start thinking about something else. Suddenly you catch yourself -”Hey! I had decided upon this and I am just wandering.” At that point, you gently reinforce what you are doing and come back to the current activity. You don’t need to feel frustrated and depressed,” I am always like this. I am distracted, I have no concentration, no attention…..” Antha polamballiye irukkara vela kettu pokum. That lamentation itself will spoil your whole activity. So that is not the approach. The approach is very simple. You have fixed for yourself a goal, there are distractions, and when you catch yourselves getting distracted, you simply come back and reinforce your goal, and pay attention. As you start doing this, the distractions may seem to increase. You will start noticing -”I am so distracted!” But that is okay. With sufficient practice, and consistent practice, you will see that the distractions will start fading away, you will be able to just focus on what you have taken up. Because you have taken it up, for whatever length of time that you have fixed. So that is a concrete way of studying.
So this connection with the other person becomes very important. This is applicable to almost everybody, because you will be going through interviews and other such processes. You connect. In fact, the equation and the questions will eventually change, when you actually connect. The confrontational attitude immediately changes when you connect with the other person. So the very way they approach you with a question will be very different from the way they approach people who come in an agitated mood to the interview. So the key thing is to relax, and that will open the gates for the connection to happen.
So this connection with the other person becomes very important. This is applicable to almost everybody, because you will be going through interviews and other such processes. You connect. In fact, the equation and the questions will eventually change, when you actually connect. The confrontational attitude immediately changes when you connect with the other person. So the very way they approach you with a question will be very different from the way they approach people who come in an agitated mood to the interview. So the key thing is to relax, and that will open the gates for the connection to happen.
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